Mandrel bar support



INVENTOR MA X .7A ENCHE/V A TTOE/VEYS Sept. 25, 1951 M. JAENCHEN MANDREL BAR SUPPORT Filed Marchi' 9, 194e Patented Sept. 25, 1951 MANDREL BAR SUPPORT Max Jaenchen, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor to The Aetna-Standard Engineering Company, Youngstown, Ohio, a corporation, of` Ohio Application March 9, 1946, Serial No. 653,400

(Cl. {iO- 11)v 4l Claims.

This. invention relates to the manufacture of tubing and more particularly to improvementsv in apparatus for supporting mandrel rods or bars employed in seamless tubemills. or the like.

In the manufacture of tubing, itis common practice to enga-ge; a solidl billet by a pair-of offs et rolls which are so disposed and so driven that they advance the billet over a piercing mandrel whereby a seamlesstube isformed. The-mandrel supportedv on the: end; of' a mandrel barwhich extends away from the rolls in, the direction of tube travel a distance at leastv` as great: as. the length of the longest tube to be formed on the mill-` During the piercing operationA` the tube, mandrel and: mandrel barV rotate together due to the action of'V the rolls, and this necessitates a rotatable mounting for the end vof the mandrel bar remote; from the mandrel'. After the tube is completely formed,A itis necessaryl to, remove the mandrel and withdraw themandrel bar so that the formed, tube'v can ber removedfromI the mill. To accomplish-this, it is a usual arrangement to rotatably mount` theouter end ofthe mandrel bar on a carriage which travels toward and away from the roll pass ona runout table and advances andr retracts the mandrel bar intov and out of. piercing position.

As tubes: up' to150` feet or more in length or 18 inchesv or more in diameter. are handled on this type of equipment; it will beunderstood that the bar which supports the mandrelV mustl in many cases' be avery long and heavy member. When the bar is moved; into retractedposition the car'- riage travels to theouterfend. of theirunout` table,

andthe inner endl ofthe bar supported atA the face of' the stripper which; is a member adapted toengage the outer end; of the formed tube' and prevent it frommoving withl the bar asthe bar is withdrawn.

During the withdrawal of the mandrel bar from the. formed' tube the bar does not rotate and, in prior apparatustof this typev with which IA amiamlliar, it was supported only at two points, the stripper and the carriage. Thus when the bar was fully withdrawn, itv was supported only at each endy and undesirable., sagging of theA unsupported mid-portion of: the bar: occurred; particularly where long, heavy bars: were employed.` It is, therefore, among. thev objects; off' the: present inventionzto providemeansfforfsupportingy the mandrel, bar fA a seamless' tube mill or the; like b etween the stripper and. the.` carriageas the bar is; withdrawn and advanced over the runout table.

@their objects. of nay-*invention include: the provision of an automatically/operated movable mandrel bar support which Will at all times provide a support for the bar substantiallyV midway between the carriage and the stripper-or-other xed point of support; the-v provision of a simple mandrel bar support adapted to move on the runout table at a lower rate and for-a shorter distance than the mandrelA barcarriage; the provision of simple and eiective interconnections between a mandrel bar carriage anda movable. mandrel bar support disposed between the'fcarriage and a fixed support, whereby the bar supportwi1lprevent undesirable sagging ofthe bar`over the runout table, regardless of the positionof the bar, and which will not interfere withA the normaladvancing and retracting of the bar; and the-provision of a rugged' runout carriage mandrel bar support which may be incorporated; in the usual; type of runout table arrangementwithout serious changes in the design andv dimensions` of thestructure.

Reference has been: made above to piercing mills for the manufacture of seamlessY tubes, but it will be understood, by those skilled in the art that my improved mandrel bar' support is also adaptable for use on reeling machines. which are generally similarto pi'ercers and are used to perform a second operation onv the tubes after they are pierced', anden tube expanding machines or other types of equipment in which itis desirable to provide an automatically operated intermediate support foranelongated barV as itis advanced ory retracted.

The above and other' objects of my invention will appear fromthe following. description of one embodiment thereof, reference being hadl to the accompanying drawings in which I'have diagrammatically illustrated. apparatus'embodying my invention and in which Figure l is a simplified illustrative side elevation of the runout table. of a piercing mill or the like showing the mandrel rod and carriage, together with my improved support, in fully advancedposition;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the mandrel bar and the other elements of the apparatus in fully retracted position; and

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the general layout of a piercing mill in corporating my improved bar support.

Referring rst to Figure 3 which shows a typical arrangement of a piercing mill, the angularly disposed rolls land 2 engage the billet 3 which is supported on an inlet table 4 and force the billet in the direction of the arrow over themandrel 5 forming it into tubular shape asv is seen at 6;. The mandrel 5 is carried on the inner end of mandrel bar 1 and the outer end of this bar is rotatably mounted in the thrust block carriage 8. As the rolling operation continues, the billet 3 is forced over the mandrel 5 and until the piercing operation is completed at which time the tube 6 will extend over the mandrel bar 1 and the mandrel 5 will project out from the inner end of the tube in such manner that it may be removed and replaced by another mandrel for the next piercing operation.

After the piercing operation is completed the bar 1 is retracted by movement of the carriage 8 away from the stripper and stationary bar support 9. During this retraction of bar 1 the right-hand end of the tube 6 (Figure I3) may engage the face of the stripper 9 to prevent longitudinal movement of the tube and permit the bar 1 to be fully withdrawn, When the carriage 8 and bar 1 reach their fully retracted positions, indicated at 1 and 8 in Figure 3, the bar is supported at its inner end at the stationary support provided by the stripper 9 and at its outer end by the carriage 8. Prior to the present invention, these two points were the sole support for the mandrel bar, and with the long and very heavy bars now in use undesirable sagging of the bars was frequently encountered.

To prevent this sagging, I provide a bar supporting carriage I8, suitably mounted for movement on the runout table or bed Il which also supports and guides the carriage 8 in its movement toward and away from the stationary bar support 9. A roll I2 is rotatably mounted on the bar support I9 and is adapted to engage the mandrel bar 1 during its advancing and retracting movement, as is clearly seen in Figure 2'. The bar 1 is rotatably mounted in the carriage 8 at I 3 but, as has been explained above, the bar 1 only rotates during the piercing operation and does not rotate While being withdrawn and retracted.

In order to permit the bar 1 to be rotated when it is in fully advanced position, as shown in Figure l, without excessive friction against the roll I2, the bar is reduced in diameter at I4, adjacent the carriage 8, so that when the bar 1 is fully advanced the portion I4 thereof will be out of contact With the roll I2. Thus, at the fully advanced position of the bar, no support is provided between the stationary bar support 9 and the carriage 8 but the unsupported length of the bar between the stationary support and carriage in this position is so short that intermediate support is not required. The reduced portion I4 is joined to the main bar section 1 by a tapered shoulder I5 which permits the bar to ride up on the roll I2 Without undue shock as the bar is retracted.

In order to move the carriage 8 back and forth on the runout table II for the full length of the mandrel bar, and to move the bar supporting carriage I8 simultaneously along the runout table in such manner that the roll I2 will always be disposed substantially half way between the stripper or fixed support 9 and the rotatable mount I3, I provide operating cable connections which furnish a simple and effective means for moving the bar support I0 in the desired relation to the movement of the carriage 8.

In Figure l, the parts are shown in fully advanced position. A cable I6 is attached to the carriage 8 at I1 and extends over the rear sheave or driving drum I8 and back the full length of the runout table II to the freely rotatable front sheave I9 which is mounted on a xed support or base I9a. The drum I8 is mounted on a fixed base at the outer end of the runout table or bed II and may be driven by any suitable means such as reversible motor 28 through a suitable gear box or other driving connection. Sheave I9 is supported for free rotation on its base I9 at the front or inner end of the runout table, and the cable I6 passes around sheave I9 and then around freely rotatable sheave 2I on the bar support carriage I0 and back to a fixed anchor at 22. Another cable 23 is secured to the carriage 8 at 24 and extends around the sheave 25, which is also freely rotatable and carried by the bar support carriage I0. The other end of cable 23 is attached to a Xed anchor 26 mounted on the foundation between the ends of the runout table II.

When the motor 2|] is operated to rotate the drum I8 in the direction of the arrow in Figure l, the carriage 8 will be moved away from the stripper 9 to retract the bar 1. At the same time, the cable 23, which has a fixed anchor at 26 and is connected to the carriage 8 at 24, will move the bar support I8 and the roll I2 in the same direction at a rate which is half the rate of movement of carriage 8 and for a distance half as great as the distance travelled by the carriage 8. Thus, at any point in the retracting movement of the bar 1, the roll I2 will afford a support therefor substantially midway between the stationary support 9 and the carriage 8, and when the bar is fully retracted the parts will be in the position shown in Figure 2.

When it is desired to advance the bar 1 for another piercing operation, the drum I8 will be rotated in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 2 and the cable I6, acting through the sheaves I9 and 2|, will move the bar support I0 toward the stationary support 9 at one half the rate of movement of the carriage 8 until the parts are returned to the position shown in Figure l. It will be understood that the cable I6 will be so connected to the drum I8 that positive drive may be maintained. The cable I6 may be made in two parts, one extending from the carriage 8 to the drum I8 and winding up on the drum during retracting movement of the carriage, and the other part extending from the drum to the sheaves I9 and 2I and back to the anchor 22. This second part of cable I6 will, of course, unwind from the drum during retracting movement to permit the cable 23 to move the support IIJ away from the stripper 9. Suitable turnbuckles or other adjusting means may be provided at 21, 28 and 29 to maintain the desired tension on the cables I6 and 23. The usual locking dog or latch 30 engages an abutment 3| on the carriage 8 when the bar 1 is fully advanced in order to resist the thrust on the mandrel 5 and bar 1 caused by the engagement of the tube with the mandrel. This latch 30 is swung out of the Way as seen in Figure 2 when the carriage 8 is retracted.

From the above description of one form of my invention, it will be seen that I have provided a mandrel bar support which is automatically maintained in a position substantially midway of the unsupported length of the bar as it is advanced and retracted over the runout table. The support does not interfere with rotation of the bar when in fully advanced position and does not require a separate source of power or complicated controls of any nature. The accompanying drawings are diagrammatic in character for purposes of simplification, and it will be understood that the equipment as installed in practice would include various elements which are not shown herein. Furthermore, although I have described one form of my invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that variations and medincations may be made in the form and arrangement of the parts, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the particular apparatus herein shown and described, but claim as my invention all embodiments thereof coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In mandrel bar supporting and operating apparatus, a table, a carriage movable over said table, a mandrel bar secured to said carriage, an intermediate bar support movable along said table in supporting relation to said bar, front and rear sheaves rotatably mounted at opposite ends of said table, a second pair of sheaves rotatably mounted on said intermediate bar support, a cable secured at one end to said carriage and extending around said rear sheave, said forward sheave and one of the sheaves on said bar support, said cable having driving engagement with said rear sheave and having its other end anchored adjacent the front end of said table, a xed anchor disposed between said ends of saidtable, and another cable extending from said carriage around the other sheave on said intermediate bar support and back to said fixed anchor between the rear end of said table and the most rearward position of said bar support on said table.

2. In mandrel bar supporting and operating apparatus, a table, a carriage movable over said table, a mandrel bar secured to said carriage, an intermediate bar support movable along said table in supporting relation to said bar, front and rear sheaves rotatably mounted at opposite ends of said table, a second pair of sheaves rotatably mounted on said intermediate bar support, a cable secured at one end to said carriage and extending around said rear sheave, said forward sheave and one of the sheaves on said bar support, said cable having driving engagement with said rear sheave and having its other end anchored adjacent the front end of said table, a xed anchor disposed between said ends of said table, another cable extending from said carriage around the other sheave on said intermediate bar support and back to said xed anchor between the rear end of said table and the most rearward position of said bar support on said table, and reversible means for` driving said rear sheave whereby said carriage may be advanced or retracted over said table.

3. Mandrel bar operating and supporting apparatus for seamless tube mills or the like including in combination, a mandrel bar, a runout table for said bar, a stationary bar support at one end of said table, a thrust block carriage supported for movement over said table toward and away from said stationary support, one end of said mandrel bar being rotatably attached to said carriage, an intermediate bar support below said bar and between said stationary support and said carriage, means for moving said carriage along said table, a roll carried by said intermediate support and adapted to engage said bar, said bar having a portion of reduced diameter adjacent the end attached to said carriage whereby said bar Will be out of engagement with said roll when said carriage is at the stationary support end of its movement, and driving connections between said carriage and said bar support for moving said intermediate bar support along said table simultaneously with and in the same direction as said carriage, said driving connections including means for maintaining the speed of travel of said intermediate support at a rate substantially one-half as great as the rate of movement of the carriage.

4. An apparatus for operating mandrel bars including in combination, a table, a thrust block carriage movable along said table from an advanced position to a retracted position, an elongated mandrel bar secured to said carriage at one end and axially movable therewith, a stationary mandrel bar support mounted on said table adjacent said advanced position for supporting the other end of said bar when said carriage is in its retracted position and for supporting said bar intermediate of its length during movement of said carriage as the said other end of said bar moves beyond said stationary support, a movable bar support located midway between said stationary support and carriage, and means for moving said movable bar support relative to the movement of said carriage so that the position of said movable bar support will be maintained at its midway position with respect to said stationary bar support and carriage irrespective of the movement of the latter including means for moving said movable bar support and means operated by said carriage movement for controlling the movement of said last mentioned means.

MAX JAENCI-IEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,684,887 Ridgway Sept. 18, 1928 1,973,687 Moise Sept. 11, 1943 

